Titles

Two titles have been suggested:

• 'Portrait of L. A. Ionides, Esq.' (1905, ISSPG). 1
• 'Portrait of Luke A. Ionides' (1980, YMSM). 2

'Portrait of Luke A. Ionides' is the preferred title.

Description

A half length portrait in vertical format. It shows a young man with dark brown hair and a substantial beard and moustache. He is seated in three-quarter view to right, against a pale background.

Sitter

Lucas (Luke) Alexander Ionides (1837-1924) .

He was painted by George Frederick Watts (1817-1904), Alphonse Legros (1837-1911), and Sir William Blake Richmond as well as by Whistler. 3

Comments

The Pennells compared it with At the Piano [YMSM 024] and Harmony in Green and Rose: The Music Room [YMSM 034] as showing the influence of Jean-Désiré-Gustave Courbet (1819-1877):

'Two other pictures of 1860 are the portrait of Mr. Luke Ionides with long, brown beard, and The Music Room. In both, the influence of the Louvre and Courbet is evident. The portrait has the heavy painting of At the Piano, though it is much more brilliant. But the other picture marks a tremendous advance.' 4